Car-sign.



N. LITCHFIELD.

OAR SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1911.

Patented July 8, 1913.

INVENTOR WITNESSES: gm xww ATTOR N EY NORMAN LITCHFIELD, OF GLEN RIDGE, NEW JERSEY.

IGN.

LOGLUTK.

Application filed July 3, 1911.

To alt whom '1' 6 may concern lie it known that I, Norman ln'ronrlnon, a citizen of the United. States, and a resident of tilen Ridge, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, United States of America, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Car-Signs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to changeable signs, especially for use in railroad or trolley cars, and its object is to provide a simple and inexpensive structure which has advantages over those which have heretofore been in use.

I will describe my invention in the following specification and point out the novel features thereof in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Ifiigure 1 is an elevation of a portion of a car window,- in this case a side window-with one of my improved signs shown in conjunction therewith. Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation of the device which is shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of a portion of this same device.

Like characters of reference designate correspoinling parts in all of the figures.

10 designates the upper sash of a car window. 11 is its lower sash. A pair of brackets 12, 12 are affixed to the sides of the window sash in vertical position.

13 is a boxliko receptacle open at the top, which is fastened to the lower sash in horizontal position, and is provided for the re ception of such of the signs as are not in use.

The signs proper are designated by 14. These are made of spring sheet metal such as steel with the desired letters, numbers or other symbols on both sides thereof. These symbols may be painted or otherwise made. I prefer to form them by lithographing upon the surfaces of the metal.

The side brackets 12 are constructed as shown in Fig. 2 with grooves of peculiar shape cut in their inner sides. Referring to this latter figure it may be seen that there are two of these side grooves, designated by 15, in each bracket. The parts of the brackets which form the upper rear surfaces of the grooves are curved forward to form protuherances 16. Other parts of the brackets which form the lower front portions of the slots are curved inward to form lugs 17. These lugs project through planes drawn from the face of the protuherances 1G, to the lower rear corners of the slots. Between Specification of Letters Patent.

atcnlcd July 8, 1913.

Scria1N0.636.771.

the-parts l6 and 11.7 the brackets are open, except at the outer edges thereof, along which are webs 1b which close the outside of the slots.

The signs are forced downward into the slots. .ln thus forcing them into the brackets their ends are bent transversely by the lugs 17 which engage the ends of the signs near the central front surfaces thereof, while their lower rear surfaces rest against the lower rear surface of the slot 1:), and lheir upper rear surfaces are against the pro tuberanees it). These engagements are only near the ends of the signs so that only end portions thereof are thus bent. The clas ticity of the metal of which the signs are made then holds them lirmly in place and thus effectively prevents vibration and rattling. The webs 18 are a distance apart somewhat greater than the length of the, signs and are provided to assist in placing the signs in proper positions relative to the brackets and obviously prevent the signs from sliding longitudinally.

If desired, the parts of the brackets may he proportioned as shown to cause the signs to be tilted forward with the upper sign tilted at a greater angle than the lower one.

The symbols are placed on both sides of the signs so that they may he read from the outside or the inside of the car.

To remove the signs they are grasped near their centers and pulled 'lj'orward. This bends them longitmlinally until their ends slip out of the brackets.

hat I claim. is

1. In a sign, the combination with a support, comprising a pair of similar parallel notched side brackets separated by an unobstructed space, of flexible sign plates. the ends of which are adapted to be inserted in said notches, each of said notches having substantially parallel sides at the bottom and upward therefrom, and offset imvardly extending projections from the respective sides near the month of the notclnsaid plates being materially wider than the notches are deep, whereby the ends of the sign plates are held against the inner sides of the notches except at the corners where they are bent outwardly to permit; the ready removal of the plates and to hold them in position.

2. In a sign the combination with a support coniprising notched side brackets, a tixed distance apart and separated by an unobstructed space, of a flexible sign plate the ends of which are adapted to be inserted name to this specification in the presence of in said notches, each of said notches having two subscriblng Witnesses. offset PIOJGCUOIIS extending lIlWELTCUY from opposite sides whereby the ends of the plate NORMAN LIlCHFIELD' are bent; transversely as it is inserted in the \Vitnesses: notches, to hold the plate in position. VVILLIAM P. DALTON,

In testimony whereof I have signed my DICKINSON E. GRIFFITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

